To the Union person who got that thread

How are things going with that?  Any new developments?  How many people have shown interest to date?  Any concerete plans set in motion yet?  I think it's an idea that's time has come, so hope to keep on hearing more about it.

• To the Union person who got that thread - going last week - any news? - sm

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I worked in a hospital where the transcriptionists were unionized, for some reason we were part of the United Steel Workers union (don't aske me what that has to do with healthcare).  It included all non-clinical employees of the hospital. 

If there was a way to do it, I would.  I am not a super hard nosed union type, but I know what the teacher's union here in our town has done for our teachers.  Not only that, but I am also one of those who are disabled and need to work from home.  If a union would protect that option as well as help promote MT as a solid work at home solution to many who can do this type of work from home instead of drawing disability, well, I am all for that.

Anne

You have an interesting viewpoint, Union Now.  At first I skimmed your post because I am not interested in a union and I tend to avoid the posts that proclaim that's what we need to do.  Then I went and re-read it and my second reaction (first being boredom and amusement at a couple of typos) was could you be any more condescending? 

I suppose you would consider me one of the GRATEFUL faction.   I am grateful that I have steady income and it's an income that can be as big or as little as I choose to make it.  Maybe that makes me naive in your eyes.  I lost a very well paying job of 4 1/2 years duration last year with about 2 months' notice.   My then-employer was a man who I had known for 30 years.  I had watched his kids for him when they were little.  This man used the phrase I'm throwing you all under rthe bus when he informed us that he was selling the agency and we may or may not be hired by the new administration.   I was at the mercy of a 57-year-old man having a mid-life crisis.  Now I make a decent wage that allows me to pay my mortgage and my bills and I have a very nice roof over my head.  And I know I can always find a job somewhere doing this kind of work.

My rambling, probably boring point is that I am indeed grateful to have employment and to have a steady income.   Is Voice Recognition the way of the future?  Very probably.  Is it going to put us out of work?  I don't think so.  Not unless they make those programs a whole lot better and not unless they magically make doctors and PAs slow down and enunciate.   We all know THAT ain't gonna happen.  

Why does it seem that so many people are entrenched in only one way of doing things?  Why does it seem that the refrain that I hear a lot is but this is the way we've always done it?  Just because that's the way something has always been done doesn't mean that it's the best way or the only way.

Personally, I think we sell ourselves short if we stay entrenched in the past and refuse to learn new technology and new technique.  We only end up hurting ourselves that way.  I don't think a union will do anything except force even more off shoring even faster.  You think hospitals are going to go union and pay higher union wages and benefits when they have options in India and the Phillipines?  Why do you think so much other American manufacturing and industry has gone overseas?   Unions, my friend.  Unions.   They served their part in the past.  They served a very good part in the past.  I firmly believe their time has come and gone, though.  The fact that information can be sent around the world in nanoseconds completely changes the game.

All a union would accomplish (in my admittedly limited viewpoint) is to ensure that bad MT's stay employed and good MT's don't get as far as they could on their own.  In my mind unions tend to pander to the lowest common denominator.   If you're good at what you do, I don't think you'll have any problems. 

So yes, for those of you who have gotten this far and whose eyes haven't crossed yet, I am grateful to have a job.  I actually have 2 jobs and I'm grateful for them both.  I know I can pay my mortgage and keep the lights on and buy cat food.  That last part is important - the little varmints outnumber me.  I don't plan on rocking any of my financial boats in the near future with the global economy tanking like it is.  If we knock over our boat, there are 100 other people here in the US and abroad who are happy to take over from us.

If this movement to start an MT union goes forward and actually happens, then what happens to those of us who have seen the negative side of unions and decline to participate?  Are we then treated like scabs, bullied and harrassed, unable to find work because we decide to not joint a club that takes our money and gives nothing in return?  Are we going to be ostracized?  What happens when this union organizes and immediately goes on strike because X company will not pay them X per line, plus hourly plus benefits? 

Like someone posted below, what happens to those of us who are ICs?  I am not able to work a set shift for various personal reasons, and so where would that leave me?  I have to have IC status in order to work. 

Also, what happens when all the US based companies decide to take ALL their business overseas because of the unionization of their workforce? 

I agree there needs to be a standard for the industry other than the AHDI or whatever they are calling themselves these days, but a union is only going to benefit a few.  What I have personally experienced with a union is that it drives the cost of operation for a company through the roof, and companies are in business to make money, not support people.  Also, the good, hard workers (for the most part) carry a lazy, inefficient work pool who refuse to do hard jobs because they are union and you can't fire a union worker. 

Basically, unions do not work for the honest folks who work their tails off to make a living.  They do work for the ones who think they deserve ____(fill in whatever you would like) because they are special because they belong to a union. 

Just saying my piece, and thank you for letting me vent. 

Some sort of organization would work.  If MTs could ban together and demand FAIR wages, the companies would have to comply.  They wouldn't have a choice and it wouldn't hurt them to do so.

In many companies, the main bottleneck in increasing wages is not the economy (especially in the medical field), but top management and the recruiters. Usually they are lacking any background in transcription or working in a production based environment.  These armchair decision makers usually do not understand and appreciate the potential of and opportunities in raising productivity through higher wages; they fail to see it as the ultimate weapon in increasing competitiveness.  And subcontractors?  Well, these companies will not last very long.

What many of these low paying companies fail to consider is that any wage hike can be more than offset by increasing productivity.  Offering higher wages should be taken positively as a challenge to improve efficiency and keep clients and MTs happy, rather than negatively.  The cost they are paying for unhappy employees that don't produce and have a lack in skill is FAR greater than a secure able employee being productive.   They can't keep their present employees happy, so they post over and over on the job boards trying to replace them.  Yes, someone will take the lower wage, but just as I said about companies not lasting long, neither will the employee accepting peanuts.

So, what should the name of our organization be?  

The response was overwhelming - 300+ very supportive emails (and still counting)from hopeful MTs who want to assume an active role in securing their future. 

You will be receiving a newsletter, information and questionairres by which you will express your opinion anonymously, in essence voting to agree on boundaries and terms.

We are realistic, and do not expect outrageously high wages, but we do expect to be treated with respect and compensated for our skills and dedication.

There will be no union dues as we get this thing off the ground in as many states as possible.  All  of our staff members are MTs, and they have volunteered their time to promote this initiative to stop the extinction of our trade.

Thank you for your quick and unexpectly great response ! 

We are stronger together.

NOTE:  For the naysayers who are trying to compare our plight to that of the auto workers', there is no comparison.  Apples and oranges.  Auto companies are directly affected by stock market plunges, oil prices, and the fact overproduction caused hundreds of thousands of gas-guzzling autos, trucks and vans that sit parked in the dealer lots throughout the US, gathering dust or snow.  Unions cannot control the world economy; they an only serve as the voice for a group of workers. 

If you really want to know how to form a union, check out the link below for the AFL/CIO.  You'll need to pick a union with which to affiliate.  They have a list with contacts.  They also have state/local federations of labor with contacts.  You'll also need a professional union organizer to help you.  There's a form you can fill out to get in touch with one.    

SEIU split from the AFL/CIO and is a healthcare union.  Find a web page for a local in your area, and they can give you the same information as above. 

These are the people who can really answer your questions and help you.  I'm betting, though, that you just want stay on these boards to stir the pot and whine.